FutureTale - an Undertale FanFic Part 1 Chapters 1-9 COMPLETED
by I.Am.Asriel
Summary: This is my headcanon of what took place the first few weeks on the surface after a true pacifist ending. I've had lots of good reviews on the undertale amino app on android. Enjoy :)


Chapter 1 - The Journal Log

Journal Entry – Day 1

The kid actually did it. I can't say I'm surprised, though. A kid like that could accomplish anything she sets her mind to. We've only been topside a day, but I feel the need to make a journal log explaining some things. Maybe it's my old scientist blood getting antsy after years of neglect, trying to over analyze everything in a well thought out synopsis. Maybe I just feel the need to start a journal to relay my thoughts so I can understand everything easier. Or perhaps, I feel like I need some documentation of myself in case things hit the fan and I end up dusting...

For starters, it's completely and blatantly obvious that everyone is happy to be out of the underground, especially after being stuck down there for so many years. That's understandable. What's NOT understandable, however, is where that Flower escaped to.

Last I remember that weed had everyone, aside from Frisk, wrapped up in those vines of his, there was a blinding light, and shortly after that Frisk was standing there alone. A quick glance at a clock made it clear that the blinding light didn't stun us for a couple of seconds, but for roughly 30 minutes. Despite my tendency to do it, I highly doubt I would have slept through anything in that situation; my belief being solidified by everyone else being unclear of what happened, as well. Now the kid would never have attacked and dusted the flower, the latter of whom would never have shown mercy to the kid, so what the hell happened back there?! When I questioned her, she smiled and mentioned a promise she made to a new friend that she wouldn't disclose any information about the events that took place. Even after running it through my mind several times over, I can't decipher who the kid could have possibly have been talking about. That still leaves the fact that 'Flowey' is unaccounted for.

The next thing I need to focus on is the humans. Nothing has happened yet beyond a few expected wide-eyed stares and a glimpse of something akin to loathing that we were there. Call me crazy, but something made me believe this wouldn't last forever and truth be told I'd be surprised if it lasts a week before the humans either force us back underground or start a war entirely. Despite my opposition to it, I would imagine the humans would choose the second option. I… I think I'm getting ahead of myself now; I need to get some sleep.

Hopefully Frisk can surprise me again.

Sans Signing out.

FutureTale Chapter 2 – Hope or Despair.

Journal Entry – Day 7

Contrary to my previous assumption, the humans neither attacked or assaulted us. After the initial shock had worn off, Frisk took charge and represented us, explaining her experiences down there and detailing how kindly each of us treated her, even if not at first, but wisely leaving out the topic of the black sheep of monsters, Flowey. It genuinely feels like we could make an actual living up here and I couldn't be more relieved, not just for myself, but for everyone. If that's the case, then why do I still have a sinking feeling in the back of my mind that this silver lining is just the outer coating of a canyon's worth of despair… I mean, don't get me wrong, I have complete and total trust in baby bones over there, who's merely enjoying the smiles of everyone around him. My skepticism stems from the rest of the public, who may only be hiding their true feelings beyond a shroud of acceptance while pondering over what they want to do next.

The flower hasn't shown up either, and while I should be grateful for that, I am instead getting more and more worried that he's just hiding until the right moment strikes. Knowing him, he's regaining his composure after whatever happened back there. I know his type – power hungry, conniving, amoral and worst of all, lacking a soul. Someone like him won't be gone long. Unless maybe... maybe he's just sitting down there in the underground. Maybe he's not planning anything at all, and he's just gonna shun himself from the rest of the world. Live a lonely life in isolation. No. I can't allow myself to think that way. I need to be on edge, be aware. Otherwise, we might lose everything we all worked so hard for. I need to figure out a way to handle whatever situation is thrown at us. I just hope I don't have to do anything drastic in front of Frisk or Papyrus.

I'm gonna push these thoughts aside for the time being. There's no telling how long this will last, and I'd rather enjoy the sunshine while I can, as opposed to stressing over the negatives and instead opt to look over at the group. We were granted access to a home until they knew how to handle the situation, kindly enough. It seems as though everyone was behaving as usual. Undyne was flexing her muscles and boasting about her strength in front of everyone. Toriel was baking butterscotch cinnamon pies and making quick puns about Undyne's speech. Papyrus was freaking out about said puns, to which alphys is trying her best to calm him down... but naturally getting over-voiced. Asgore is chuckling at the group's shenanigans and sipping some tea, while Mettaton is actually on the TV in an interview with a news station, somehow. He works fast; I'll give him that. Lastly, I look over to frisk, the one who made all of this possible who was-

Looking distressed about something… I gotta go figure this out.

Sans Signing off.

Chapter 3 - Determination refueled

Journal Entry - Day 12

After asking if we could talk and she consented, I warped us back to the underground, in Snowdin. It was a tad bittersweet being back "home, " but I needed to bring us somewhere where I was almost entirely positive no one could listen in on us. After a moment, I got ready to ask what was going on, but the kid beat me to it. For the sake of clarity, I'm going to detail our conversation as well.

"OhmygodSansIdon'tknowwhatI'mdoingpleasehelpmeI'mso-" She blurted out in a rapid-fire explosion of panic and helplessness.

"Whoa whoa whoa kiddo, just calm down, you know I'm here for you," I said in an attempt to reassure her. I saw the panic leave her face and she was back to her usual self.

"I-... I'm sorry Sans; I don't know what I'm doing, I'm worried that I'm not gonna be able to represent you guys well enough and everyone will force you all back underground, separating us, or... DUST you..." she managed, although it was evident it was painful for her.

I heard her voice crack and body lurch forward violently when she uttered the word dust. I swear I saw a tear as well, but I'm not 100% on that. It truly hurt me to see her so broken. The brave, determined young human that befriended everyone and wouldn't quit until we were free was forcibly reverted back to a helpless child. A child who just needed a shoulder to cry on and make sure she knew she was doing a great job. I more than intended to be the one to do that for her. I walk over to her, sit down and put my hand on her shoulder. After looking at me and whimpering, I look back at her and say the one thing I was sure she needed to hear most right now.

"Frisk, I'm so proud of everything you've managed to accomplish. There is no one. Absolutely no one that I trust more to stand up for us than you. Everything you're feeling right now is completely justified, but I can't stress enough the fact that you have nothing to worry about."

I see a lot of tension lift off her shoulders, so I continue.

"There's one more thing I need you to know. I don't care what happens up there, Frisk. Nothing will separate us if they choose to attack, or suppress us again. I swear, if nothing else, I WILL get you down here and bring everyone else back afterward. Regardless of what scenario life choose to cast upon us, nothing in the universe could bring any harm to you, not if I have anything to do with it."

I finished with a sigh and looked over at her, expecting to get a hug or a simple thank you. Instead, I see the kid was... crying! I didn't know what to think, beyond wondering if I misread the situation and she was even more broken than I judged her for. I didn't have a chance to collect myself and try again before I heard her again.

"Thank you. Thank you so much, Sans! I'm honestly so grateful you asked to talk to me..." Ah, tears of joy. That makes a lot more sense. "I don't know how much longer I could have kept my composure in front of the others had you not brought me here. It got a little overwhelming you know? I mean, I'm sure they would understand, but I couldn't do that in front of papyrus, or mom..." Frisk exclaimed, slowly.

"Aw, come on now babybones," I said, to which Frisk giggled. "You know that I'm not the only one who feels this way. EVERYONE else feels the same as I do." I conclude, rubbing her head, as she genuinely smiled for the first time since we got down here.

I look around at the old town. Seeing it so desolate was chilling, to say the least. I briefly thought back to the nightmare that used to haunt me like locust in a field of crops. No. I can't reflect on that anymore. I have to keep those memories out of my mind; those days are gone forever. But that didn't do anything to ease the tension I felt as if someone WAS watching me.

"I think it's time to get back to the others, though. They must be worried sick about us. I never told them we were leaving, to be honestly." I informed her. I grabbed her hand and was about to warp out when I saw him.

Peeking his head around the corner of Grillby's was Flowey. As soon as our eyes met, his went wide in surprise, momentarily, before softening and looking down to the ground for a moment, then slowly popping back into the ground. Call me crazy, but I think he had a look of... regret? Sorrow? Whatever it was, I didn't have time to place it before the kid yanked me arm a little to snap me back to attention.

"Sans? What's wrong? I hear her question.

"N-nothing, Frisk. Come on, let's head home" I mutter before we teleport back.

Chapter 4 - Discoveries.

Journal Entry - Day 16

We had a meeting with a select group of people representing the general public yesterday. They walked in and motioned for us to sit down. They asked who was going to represent all of monster-kind and we presented Frisk. They mocked us at first; They were naturally skeptical of a child representing anything, especially this important. That was to be expected, of course. But after we stated how we were confident that she was the best person for the job, they consented, despite the fact that it was odd for them. The meeting began, and they asked Frisk of her travels in there, about how we treated her, about, well everything. I was impressed at how well she kept her cool under all these questions. Had I not talked to her the other day, she wouldn't have been doing as well as she was. After a couple hours of this, they seemed a bit more accepting of us, although I doubt they were all completely on board with this. In the end, the kid convinced them to allow us to stay in the house we were staying in. Despite how well the meeting went, I think I'm gonna keep an eye socket on them for the time being.

After that little... incident in Snowdin, I went back by myself to see if I could find him again. Maybe I could make heads or tails of what I saw. Unfortunately, he was nowhere to be found in town, so I had to pop in and out of random places in the underground searching for him. After over a dozen attempts, nearing my last, I found him in the most unexpected place in the entirety of the underground.

"Hey weed, what are you doing in front of the music statue of all places? As much as I like music, I forgot a pair of head-bones" I Joked. He didn't reply. It was weird being here. Not many people visited here, let alone stayed. Don't get me wrong, the music coming from it is calming, but it didn't go with the flowers memo. He didn't reply. "Listen, I gotta ask you about the other day. When I caught your gaze, you looked caught off guard at first. I get that. Why would you expect to see us back here randomly? But I need to know what was with that expression afterward? If I didn't know any better, I'd say it was regret, mixed with sorrow, or maybe guilt. I just wanna kno-" I got caught off, not only mid-sentence but off guard as well.

"I remember..." He said slowly. "Back when you guys were blacked out, some... events.. took place and now I remember things I NEVER thought I would be capable of remembering. What it's like to have emotions. What it's like to be accepted. To have friends. Family. I remember what it's like to have a soul." He said, almost crying. Then the floodgates opened. "I DON'T WANT TO FORGET AGAIN, SANS... I CAN'T LIVE LIKE THAT ANYMORE. I FEEL MYSELF SLOWLY REVERTING TO MY SOULLESS EVIL WAYS, PLEASE HELP ME!" he begged.

I couldn't begin to articulate what I was seeing in front of me. Here in front of me was a broken monster... Er, Flower... pleading for my help only weeks after trying to kill everyone...

"I... er... Even If I wanted to, I don't know what I could do to help. But before we get into that, I have one question I NEED an answer for, before I even begin to consider assisting you." I stated bluntly.

"What would that be? he asked.

"What the hell happened back there between you and Frisk?" I ordered.

I saw his eyes widen in a mixture of shock and fear. "I can't... break the promise I made to Frisk," he whispered.

I head a flashback to the time when Frisk mentioned a promise to a new friend. He wasn't exactly close with flowey by any means. Maybe the kid actually made flower feel genuine regret and mercy.

"Are you the "new friend" Frisk was talking about?" I mused.

After stopping for a moment to weigh his options, he sighed and said, "Yes and No. It's hard to explain in a quick response." He stated flat out.

"Well, it's a god thing I brought a watch, cause we have plenty of time on our hands... or in your case petals?" I said, shrugging.

Sighing, once again, he continued, "I KNOW you're not going to believe this without any context, but I'm gonna start with the heaviest piece of information first... I'm gonna reveal to you my true identity. Who I really am..." he said carefully.

"Wait, who you really are?" I asked puzzled. I didn't have time to hypothesize what he meant by that before his face began morphing into a familiar form.

"H-Howdy! I'm Asriel Dreemurr!" He piped out meekly.

My face twisted from one of shock and disbelief to pure anger as my eye lit on fire and a gaster blaster appeared behind me.

"THIS IS NOT A TIME FOR JOKES, WEED" I roared angrily.

"Listen, listen! I TOLD you that you wouldn't believe me at first. Just give me one chance to explain myself!" He pleaded.

"AND WHY SHOULD I TRUST YOU?" I steamed.

"Because I haven't attacked the humans yet, which would have demolished any hope at peace! and with how rapidly I feel my sanity shrinking we don't have long until I go back to my old ways and actually go through with that!" He said impatiently.

After a moment of hesitation, the gaster blaster disappeared, my eye dulled to normal and my anger faded.

"Fine. Talk." I commanded.

"Thank you. I'm gonna explain everything, starting with the beginning when Toriel, asgore and I were still a family." I snarled at that line a little but allowed him to continue. "Starting with... CHARA...

...

My head started spinning at the mention of Chara. Those nightmares began plaguing my mind again, but I quickly nullified them. After a moment of silence, he began his story; he mentioned all the obvious things. Chara being the first child to fall, how she was accepted into the family, so on and so forth. Then he explained how when Chara ate the buttercups and started dying, she only wished to see the golden flowers found in their home village. Upon death, he absorbed her soul and went through the barrier, carrying charas body, with the intention of killing off the humans. The humans seeing a monster carrying the corpse of a child in its arms attack, and despite their plan, he couldn't allow harm to befall the humans. After being attacked, he limped back to his home and died in what would become Asgore's flower garden. He stated that the first flower seeds that fell onto him when he turned to dust became what he was now, Flowey.

He proceeded to explain that when Alphys was experimenting with determination, she took the first flower that was in that flower garden, ultimately him, to her lab and injected it with determination, giving him life. After he had become aware of this, he left when Alphys turned her back to him and fled to Asgore. Without a soul, he realized he no longer could feel love toward his father and escaped to the ruins, where he saw his mom, Toriel and, upon the same thing, tried killing himself. However, he soon found out that the determination allowed him to reset and he could no longer kill himself.

He stated that he, at first, tried helping people, but got bored with hearing the same lines of dialogue so often, decided to 'experiment' and killed someone, but instantly felt regret and reset. However, after realizing he can reset to save them, eventually became immune to killing, stating, 'there were no real consequences to his actions, so long as he kept resetting' which, inevitably, led him to kill Toriel and Asgore, and resetting.

I see. Without a soul, or even consequences, he could literally live forever. Anyone would eventually become bored with that life, and the 'lack of a soul' would inevitably corrupt anyone.

"But what happened back there when you and Frisk were locked in a fight, then?" I pushed. I needed to know what happened; I couldn't ignore it at this point.

"When I absorbed not only the seven souls but the souls of every monster, I retook my usual form. I was... me again.. and... the only thing I wanted to do was to take control of the timeline away from Frisk and reset to the very beginning... I thought that maybe I could keep Chara from getting sick, and we all could live happily.. but... Frisk's determination still shone through. I was a god, but I was still powerless. Funny to think about. In the end, he still forgave me for everything that I did, both as Asriel and as Flowey. He promised not to let you all know about who I really was. I made him. I... I knew I couldn't keep your souls, it would be selfish, so I knew I would become this again. I had to make sure I couldn't hurt you guys with the truth. So, I selfishly forced him to promise to keep it from you, unfairly. He agreed, of course. It's in his nature to help people, no matter how much it hurts him."

I listened patiently. It all made sense. I mean, who am I to tell say it doesn't make sense, with all the confusing, mind-blowing things I'm aware of with the timelines and all. Flowey continued, even farther.

"After I returned to a flower with no soul, something different happened. Before when Alphys, er, created me, for lack of a better term, I had been dead for a long time even then, so I had no period to absorb the knowledge of everything. I had no way of remembering my emotions, but this time, it happened in an instant. I was able to remember everything perfectly. I had a 'cool down' period it would seem as to when I would forget everything. I knew I didn't have long, but I was still afraid to confront you all and ask for forgiveness and help. Then I heard you and Frisk. I knew this was my only chance, so when you saw me, I thought 'this is my chance' but... I couldn't do it. I became depressed and just left, giving up hope... but here you are again.. I- I couldn't lose out on this chance too because I know I won't get any others." He spoke, dis-heartedly

"please Sans, you're my only hope. I can't go back to living that way; I just can't! If I have no other option, I'd rather kill myself then go back to living like that.. the kid has the power to reset now, if I kill myself, I won't come back, but... I can't do that without at least TRYING to became me again. I... I'm still afraid... I know you have no reason to believe any of this, it probably sounds like some crazy conspiracy theory, but you're all I have now." He finally finished, lowering his head to the ground and silently waiting for me to make a move.

I took a moment to absorb everything he said. To judge whether I believed him or not... I could call BS and leave him to die or dust him myself to ensure he CAN'T return. I could stop him right here, right now while he was powerless to stop me or run away.

"I believe you..."

"what?" he said, his head slowly raising his head when he realized what I had said.

"I said, I believe you. There are no hard facts, or evidence supporting you. In fact, my old scientist blood is mad at me for feeling this way without them, but... I believe you." I said flatly.

"Then you can-" he started.

"but that doesn't mean I know HOW to help you," I stated, bluntly.

The look of dejection I saw flood through him hurt me. It really did. I had continued before he had a chance to say or do anything "But I have one idea. It's a long shot, but it might just work."

His eyes shined again, in hope. "Thank you so much, Sans. What... what do you have in mind..?"

"It's nothing either of us can do on our own. We need someone to help with this, but getting her on board is the only factor as to whether or not we can continue. I'll be right back. Meet me in Snowdin" I said, leaving him there to himself.

Within a few minutes, I teleported to Snowdin, to meet Flowey again. He looked at me expectedly.

"Where is she? Did she reject you? Who even is she?" He said at a mile a minute. His fear was apparent.

"Calm down; I haven't even told her anything yet. I knew I couldn't convince her to help me, without giving her evidence I was in on everything. Frisk, come out kiddo" I said, before she stepped out behind me, confusedly. We let her in on everything and naturally she quickly agreed, but neither of them knew what I had in plan. "follow me."

I brought them to my old house. More specifically, I brought them to the back of my house. I knew the kid had seen this before, but she never knew what the machine back here did.

"Sans, what do you have planned? I've seen this machine before, but I never knew what it was."

"A long time ago, humans and monsters got along in perfect harmony. We actually depended on one another to fuel certain things. The monsters created things way out of the human's mental capacity to build themselves, but the monsters couldn't power the machines they made without human determination." I saw Frisk's eyes widen a little, now that she knew WHY we needed her. "This is one of those machines. I made this a long time again, not believing it would ever be used, considering the fact that humans and monsters weren't helping each other anymore. But here we are. Now the machine is actually used to help revive those who were turned to dust. Obviously, that's where the problem comes in. You're not exactly dust, Flowey, but you were created from your own dust and determination from Alphys tests. That proves the concept can work, but you are already, 'revived' but in another form.

I stopped for a moment to allow them to catch up. When I thought I gave it enough time, I continued.

"My theory is that, since you were created from your own dust, that maybe if we put your physical form in the machine, maybe - just maybe - you can return to your original form. That's one of 3 possibilities." I said

"What are the other two possibilities, then?" Flowey questioned.

"One is that it will do absolutely nothing to you and you'll be stuck like this. The final..." I trailed off a bit. "Is that you would be crushed inside the machine and killed.." I concluded.

I saw the look of shock and fear pop up in both their eyes. "that's the second reason frisk is here. If anything happens, I give her the word, and we start over." They looked more relieved after that. "Are you both ready?" I asked.

"I feel it in my bones" Frisk cheered. I couldn't help but chuckle.

"I have nothing to lose!" Flowey said optimistically.

Frisk politely lifted Flowey out of the ground and carefully placed him in the machine. It was a tight fit, being that it was modified for dust, not monsters. Fortunately, he's small enough to fit in there snuggly. We close the chamber, and I look at Frisk.

"Alright babybones, Once I give the word, you just concentrate as hard as you can on Asriel's true form and hit that button. Don't think about anything else, or it could backfire on us. Just stay determined, and if it works correctly, it will hopefully succeed."

I go over to the monitor and punch in a bunch of keys to power the machine up and look over one more time to everyone. Flowey seems nervous, but frisk seems prepared for anything. Sighing I say, "Go for it kiddo."

The machine whirred to life as he focused and hit the button. A loud humming was heard, and a bright flash blinded me and frisk, who yelled. She apparently wasn't expecting that. When the light died down, Flowey was left a mangled mess, but before Frisk could see him, I jumped in front of her and told her to reset. She doesn't need to see this.

A moment later, or before I guess, we were back to just before she pushed the button.

"That didn't go as planned, huh.." She said sadly.

"Not at all. Now that you know what happens, let's try again, you shouldn't get spooked this time. Ready whenever you are" I say, politely

"Right, I got it this time!" She says. She stops for a second to prepare herself, thinks about Asriel, and pushes the button again. The machine spun to life again, made a humming noise, administered the bright light and finished. After opening my eyes again, I looked at the machine. Flowey was gone. I quickly ran to the other side, to the side compartment made to fit monsters larger than Asgore, and throw the door open, only to see... Flowey, with goat ears...

"Did it work?" He asked, looking around, before seeing himself and slouching over again. "I guess not," he said sadly.

I manage to keep my composure, but Frisk was on the ground laughing.

"Let's try that one more time, but try to focus on Asriel's true form harder this time," I note

"Aw, come on, he's so cute, can't we keep him like this for a while?" She blurts out.

"NO, WE CAN'T KEEP ME LIKE THIS. GET ME BACK IN THE MACHINE!" HE YELLS.

After a moment, frisk, still giggling, lifts him up and puts him in again. "Oh, fine!" She concedes.

She re-asserts her composure. "Ready sans?" she asks.

"Go for it, just focus."

"Right!"

She closes her eyes and thinks for a moment. She pushes the button, and the sequence starts and finished. When it's over, we opened to see Asriel... with flower petals around his head.

"Frisk?" I say.

"I couldn't help myself, this was my only chance to see him like this; I had to take it!"

"Well, at least SOMEONE is enjoying themselves..." He said sourly. He lifts himself up and squeezes himself inside. "Let's just get this over with I can't feel my everything," he stated.

"Last time, kiddo, let's go."

"Ok, ok, I got it this time." She focuses, pushes the button and finally, after waiting for a few seconds, we reached out goal.

"Am I actually me this time?" He asks. He steps out and looks at himself. He certainly looked like Asriel, but now came the next test.

"You're you!" Frisk ran over and hugged Asriel, obviously extremely excited that the plan worked.

"Finally, I'm me again! I'm truly me again!" He said, happily.

"How do you feel," I say, not as a question, but as a command.

"What do you mean, how do I feel? I feel enlightened! I feel ecstatic, happy!" He smirks.

"Do you feel like you have a soul?" I pressure.

He looks at me, surprised. He then looks at himself and ponders for a moment.

"I... I think so. I'm not sure, honestly. I think I might be somewhere in between like I have a soul, but I don't... maybe I have half a soul..?" He says.

"That... is better than what we had, but it could be problematic. If you only have half a soul, there's no saying that you can keep this form steady forever. Even if you can, you would be fragile compared to having a full soul. You would only be able to get hit once, twice max in

battle before dusting." I state, sadly.

They both looked very concerned. This was very terrifying, but it was better than what we had. They look at each other.

"I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get to it" Asriel stated.

"We'll do whatever we have to when we get to that point." Frisk chimed in.

"Alright, then. That's settled. I gotta say, I'm relieved I chose to believe you Asriel. I could just as easily have attacked you, but I took a chance, and it ended positively... there's only one thing left to do. Are you ready to be reunited with everyone else?" I muse.

He looks at me, determined. "I've been ready for a long, long time, Sans." He told me.

I grab onto Frisk's shoulder and tell Asriel to grab my jacket and stand behind us. After we do, I tell Frisk to be quiet when we get back, and I'll do the talking. They both agree, and we teleport back to the front door. I open it to be greeted by everyone.

"Sans, where did you go to with Frisk?" Toriel berated me. "We were worried sick!"

"YES, BROTHER! YOU CAN'T BE RUNNING OFF WITH HIM ALL THE TIME WITHOUT WARNING US! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS SIMPLY WON'T STAND FOR THIS!" Papyrus added.

"A-are you both alright?" Alphys asked.

I smiled, happily and told them. "We were out doing something very important. We reunited with a very old friend." I said.

"What do you mean?" Undyne asked.

"Yes, what could you two possibly have done?" Asgore chimed in.

"Instead of telling you guys. How about I just show you, instead." I slowly step out of the way, while Frisk stepped aside too, smiling even more so happily than I've ever seen before, to show everyone Asriel.

They all gasped, before two very loud voices boomed,

"MY CHILD!" Toriel and Asgore screamed before running forward and embracing their long lost son in a hug.

Chapter 6 - Too close for comfort.

BROTHER! I DON'T UNDERSTAND! WHY IS THERE A MINIATURE CLONE OF ASGORE AND TORIEL HERE?" Papyrus half-yelled half-asked me.

"Yes. I do not understand what's going on myself" Toriel chimed in, still hugging Asriel, who looked at me fearfully.

"It's... a really long, complicated story, and to spare you all of the trauma that comes with it, I'll opt out of this question. Let's just say I was able to use a machine I built, fuel it with Frisk's determination and voila, one Asriel." I said, very carefully choosing my words.

"Frisk, is that right?" Asgore inquired, clearly relieved to see his son again.

"Yupp! If if wasn't for me, Asriel would still be gone. After freeing everyone, I realized the only person I couldn't save was Asriel, but Sans had the answer all along" She mused happily.

"W-Wait, a machine you built, Sans?" Alphys asked me, notably surprised.

"ya, it was a long time ago, when I was still a scientist working for Asgore with... well, ya know... I built a machine that's fueled by determination to reanimate monsters that have dusted over. We used that to bring Asriel back." I reply.

"BUT WOULDN'T THE DUST OF THE MINIATURE ASGORE/TORIEL CLONE HAVE BEEN LONG GONE, SANS?" Papyrus asked.

And that's when I knew I said too much, because as Papyrus said that, everyone looked at me.

"Ya, Papyrus has a point! What's going on sans!" Undyne said, getting riled up.

"B-besides! I already injected the first flower that sprouted from that dust with determination a very long time ago! Although, it disappeared when I turned around. I doubt it could have become sentient, but there are not many other options..."

"A LIVING FLOWER? I'VE HAD A FLOWER POP UP AND TALK TO ME FROM TIME TO TIME GIVING ME ADVICE! COULD THIS BE THE SAME FLOWER DR. ALPHYS?" Papyrus pointed out.

"

It's very possible," she thought.

Everyone looked at me again. It was apparent they were attempting to piece everything together, which wasn't good. If they all realized that Asriel was Flowey, and remember all the evil, terrible things he's done, Who's to say they would be as willing to accept him back. I had to think of an explanation that tied everything together perfectly, while diverting attention away from the flower. But no matter how many times I wracked my brain for an answer, It either was too farfetched or fell just short of tying everything together. I was running out of time; they'll notice I'm stalling if I wait any longer.

"Well, you see-" I get cut off by Frisk. Not by anything she said, but by what she did. Before I knew it, I was back underground with Frisk and Asriel, just stepping out of the machine.

"Am I really me this time?" I hear him repeat as he steps out and looks at himself.

"Frisk. What did you just do?" I look over at her, accusingly.

"We were out of options! If I didn't do something everyone would have figured it out." She replied, sharply.

"I feel as though I missed something here," Asriel said, confused.

"Long story short, decided to reset back to this moment. You ARE you again, but you have half a soul, which mean you need to be VERY careful about getting into any battles. It may not even be a permanent patch, but we'll figure that out when we get to that point. I mean you survived without a soul at all, you should be okay. We already went topside and met up with everybody, and they almost figured out you used to be Flowey. We're gonna go back in and-"

"And I'M gonna do that talking this time. Right Sans?" I heard Frisk say, taking control of the situation from me.

"Uhm, sure kiddo, that sounds good to me."

"Now that that's taken care of. Asriel! You're you again! I'm so happy for you!" She cheered, hugging him for the second time.

"I can't believe it actually worked... I was so scared I would have to do something drastic... Thank you both so much, I wouldn't be here without you." He wept, silently.

"I wouldn't have it any other way Asriel. I refuse to," she spoke, sweetly.

"I hate to break up this touching moment. I really do. But we should get back to the others. Asriel, grab hold and stand behind me." I say, once again, hopefully for the last time.

"No, this time we do it my way. Asriel, take the lead!" Frisk stated, calmly.

"Uhm, sure, if that's what you want, who am I to stop you, babybones," I replied, still unsure of her intentions.

"Alright, Asriel, hold one of us, and we'll bring you back," I state. He instantly grabbed into Frisk's hand. They make a cute couple... Like Chara and Asriel did all those years ago, but I doubt that this will have the same outcome. I placed my hand on Frisk's shoulders and next thing we knew we were in front of the house again.

Frisk instantly knocked on the door and pushed me and her out of the way so that we couldn't be as easily spotted.

"WAIT, WHAT?" Asriel screamed in a whispered tone, caught off guard by the turn of events.

"It'll be more fun this way!" She insisted.

Before the returning prince had time to interject, Undyne opened the door.

"Who is it and what do you wa-" She was stopped dead in her tracks, unable to believe the sight before her. "No way," she whispered silently, before we heard,

"UNDYNE WHO IS IT? WHY IS THERE A MINIATURE CLONE OF ASGORE AND TORIEL IN THE DOORWAY?" Papyrus declared, ruining the surprise.

"Wait, what did you say?" Toriel replied. ALL of a sudden we heard them scream, "MY CHILD!" again, before rushing over to hug Asriel a second time. After a moment they looked over and noticed us. "Frisk? Sans? What.. I don't believe I know what's happening, but I'm just happy to have my dear sweet Asriel again." she said, now in tears.

"What a miraculous turn of events this is. Sans, what's going on?" Asgore beamed. I backed away, and let Frisk take control, as we agreed.

"long story short; we found a way to find and revive Asriel. Let's not get into the details. Needless to say, after I saved everyone, I realized the only one left was your son. It's hard to put into words exactly how we did it, so instead of confusing you guys, let's leave it at that." she said, content with herself.

"I-I don't know what to say, Sans. G-Good job!" Alphys said, a little skeptical as to the turn of events.

I think... I think today's journal entry is long enough. No sense in writing myself down to the bone over this... as humerus as that would be, I think I just need some time to enjoy everyone's company.

Sans Signing off.

Chapter 7 - Serenity

Day 18

It's been a couple of days and it seems as though Asriel is fitting in nicely. He's been spending a lot of time with his parents. Whenever he isn't with them, he's always with Frisk. Those two are gonna be inseparable; I'm telling you now. After keeping a close eye on him, it doesn't seem as though the half a soul problem has had any problem. I think it's best that they don't know, though. It can only cause heartbreak, and right now we need to keep out heads held high, and focus on what matters.

We sent Papyrus out to show the humans how lighthearted and innocent monsters can be. With Flowey out of the picture altogether, we don't have to worry about anyone messing this up for us. On another positive note, it seems as though everyone has decided to drop the matter of how Asriel is back in the first place. It's for the best; it would leave them all devastated if they ever learned the truth. Alphys and Undyne have officially started dating as of yesterday. All they do is sit in front of the TV and alternate between watching various new animes and checking up on Mettaton, who managed to get his own TV show. He's doing a great job boasting about how monsters are genuinely nice. It's really helping the cause. It feels as though everything is slowly falling into place.

I'm beginning to feel a little more comfortable walking outside. Now that people are accepting us, we don't have as much to fear about as far as getting randomly attacked goes. Considering that I only have 1HP, that's good news for me. I mean, I know I can dodge pretty easily, but it's better safe than sorry, ya know?

The door slams open and we all here,

"I HAVE RETURNED WITH SPLENDID NEWS! I MADE FRIENDS WITH MORE HUMANS THROUGH A PEACE OFFERING OF SPAGHETTI TO THE OTHER CHILDREN. THE MOMENT THEY TASTED IT THEY RAN TO TELL THEIR PARENTS HOW GREAT IT TASTED!" He cheered.

"Great job, Pap, I'm proud of you!" I comment. It's a good thing his spaghetti has gotten better since we got above ground or else it may have started a war. In her spare time, Toriel has been teaching Undyne and Papyrus how to cook. Undyne is a very slow learner.

"Maybe you can give them some puzzles tomorrow!" Frisk encouraged him.

"THAT SOUNDS LIKE A MARVELOUS IDEA! WOULD YOU LIKE TO COME WITH ME AND SET THEM UP, HUMAN?" He said, happily

"Papyrus! We've known each other for so long now, and you can start calling me Frisk. Otherwise, it will be confusing when we're in public, and you're calling everyone, 'human.'" she replied, jokingly. "I'd love to help you set them up; it sounds like a skele-ton of fun!" Frisk teased him.

"SANS, STOP PLAGUING FRISK'S MIND WITH INCIDENTAL PUNS!" He barked at me.

"I don't know, Papyrus, I thought it was pretty humerus." I chimed in.

"Come on Sans; these jokes are pretty bare bones." Toriel chuckled.

"Careful, mom, or else I may have a bone to pick with you!" Frisk continued.

"THAT DOES IT, I'M GOING TO GO SET THE PUZZLES NOW!" Papyrus yelled, storming off, as everyone else was laughing.

"Wait, did Frisk just call you mom?" Asriel inquired.

"O-Oh! Uhm, ya... I did.." She replied, her cheeks growing very red, very fast. "It's, um, a long story." She said, nervously.

"Well, when I found her in the ruins, she was being attacked by this mean little flower, so I blasted it and took care of her ever since. We became so close so fast, that she just, out of nowhere, called me mom." Toriel informed him.

I saw him turn his head at the mention of the flower. We're gonna be walking on thin ice for a while now. After the tension had died down, I looked around to see everyone's smiling faces. They all looked so peaceful in this moment. I just wanted to live in this moment forever and never let it go, but deep down I knew this was only a single piece of a much larger, much more beautiful jigsaw puzzle. I'm calling it a night.

Sans signing off.

Chapter 6 - Too close for comfort.

BROTHER! I DON'T UNDERSTAND! WHY IS THERE A MINIATURE CLONE OF ASGORE AND TORIEL HERE?" Papyrus half-yelled half-asked me.

"Yes. I do not understand what's going on myself" Toriel chimed in, still hugging Asriel, who looked at me fearfully.

"It's... a really long, complicated story, and to spare you all of the trauma that comes with it, I'll opt out of this question. Let's just say I was able to use a machine I built, fuel it with Frisk's determination and voila, one Asriel." I said, very carefully choosing my words.

"Frisk, is that right?" Asgore inquired, clearly relieved to see his son again.

"Yupp! If if wasn't for me, Asriel would still be gone. After freeing everyone, I realized the only person I couldn't save was Asriel, but Sans had the answer all along" She mused happily.

"W-Wait, a machine you built, Sans?" Alphys asked me, notably surprised.

"ya, it was a long time ago, when I was still a scientist working for Asgore with... well, ya know... I built a machine that's fueled by determination to reanimate monsters that have dusted over. We used that to bring Asriel back." I reply.

"BUT WOULDN'T THE DUST OF THE MINIATURE ASGORE/TORIEL CLONE HAVE BEEN LONG GONE, SANS?" Papyrus asked.

And that's when I knew I said too much, because as Papyrus said that, everyone looked at me.

"Ya, Papyrus has a point! What's going on sans!" Undyne said, getting riled up.

"B-besides! I already injected the first flower that sprouted from that dust with determination a very long time ago! Although, it disappeared when I turned around. I doubt it could have become sentient, but there are not many other options..."

"A LIVING FLOWER? I'VE HAD A FLOWER POP UP AND TALK TO ME FROM TIME TO TIME GIVING ME ADVICE! COULD THIS BE THE SAME FLOWER DR. ALPHYS?" Papyrus pointed out.

"

It's very possible," she thought.

Everyone looked at me again. It was apparent they were attempting to piece everything together, which wasn't good. If they all realized that Asriel was Flowey, and remember all the evil, terrible things he's done, Who's to say they would be as willing to accept him back. I had to think of an explanation that tied everything together perfectly, while diverting attention away from the flower. But no matter how many times I wracked my brain for an answer, It either was too farfetched or fell just short of tying everything together. I was running out of time; they'll notice I'm stalling if I wait any longer.

"Well, you see-" I get cut off by Frisk. Not by anything she said, but by what she did. Before I knew it, I was back underground with Frisk and Asriel, just stepping out of the machine.

"Am I really me this time?" I hear him repeat as he steps out and looks at himself.

"Frisk. What did you just do?" I look over at her, accusingly.

"We were out of options! If I didn't do something everyone would have figured it out." She replied, sharply.

"I feel as though I missed something here," Asriel said, confused.

"Long story short, decided to reset back to this moment. You ARE you again, but you have half a soul, which mean you need to be VERY careful about getting into any battles. It may not even be a permanent patch, but we'll figure that out when we get to that point. I mean you survived without a soul at all, you should be okay. We already went topside and met up with everybody, and they almost figured out you used to be Flowey. We're gonna go back in and-"

"And I'M gonna do that talking this time. Right Sans?" I heard Frisk say, taking control of the situation from me.

"Uhm, sure kiddo, that sounds good to me."

"Now that that's taken care of. Asriel! You're you again! I'm so happy for you!" She cheered, hugging him for the second time.

"I can't believe it actually worked... I was so scared I would have to do something drastic... Thank you both so much, I wouldn't be here without you." He wept, silently.

"I wouldn't have it any other way Asriel. I refuse to," she spoke, sweetly.

"I hate to break up this touching moment. I really do. But we should get back to the others. Asriel, grab hold and stand behind me." I say, once again, hopefully for the last time.

"No, this time we do it my way. Asriel, take the lead!" Frisk stated, calmly.

"Uhm, sure, if that's what you want, who am I to stop you, babybones," I replied, still unsure of her intentions.

"Alright, Asriel, hold one of us, and we'll bring you back," I state. He instantly grabbed into Frisk's hand. They make a cute couple... Like Chara and Asriel did all those years ago, but I doubt that this will have the same outcome. I placed my hand on Frisk's shoulders and next thing we knew we were in front of the house again.

Frisk instantly knocked on the door and pushed me and her out of the way so that we couldn't be as easily spotted.

"WAIT, WHAT?" Asriel screamed in a whispered tone, caught off guard by the turn of events.

"It'll be more fun this way!" She insisted.

Before the returning prince had time to interject, Undyne opened the door.

"Who is it and what do you wa-" She was stopped dead in her tracks, unable to believe the sight before her. "No way," she whispered silently, before we heard,

"UNDYNE WHO IS IT? WHY IS THERE A MINIATURE CLONE OF ASGORE AND TORIEL IN THE DOORWAY?" Papyrus declared, ruining the surprise.

"Wait, what did you say?" Toriel replied. ALL of a sudden we heard them scream, "MY CHILD!" again, before rushing over to hug Asriel a second time. After a moment they looked over and noticed us. "Frisk? Sans? What.. I don't believe I know what's happening, but I'm just happy to have my dear sweet Asriel again." she said, now in tears.

"What a miraculous turn of events this is. Sans, what's going on?" Asgore beamed. I backed away, and let Frisk take control, as we agreed.

"long story short; we found a way to find and revive Asriel. Let's not get into the details. Needless to say, after I saved everyone, I realized the only one left was your son. It's hard to put into words exactly how we did it, so instead of confusing you guys, let's leave it at that." she said, content with herself.

"I-I don't know what to say, Sans. G-Good job!" Alphys said, a little skeptical as to the turn of events.

I think... I think today's journal entry is long enough. No sense in writing myself down to the bone over this... as humerus as that would be, I think I just need some time to enjoy everyone's company.

Sans Signing off.

Chapter 7 - Serenity

Day 18

It's been a couple of days and it seems as though Asriel is fitting in nicely. He's been spending a lot of time with his parents. Whenever he isn't with them, he's always with Frisk. Those two are gonna be inseparable; I'm telling you now. After keeping a close eye on him, it doesn't seem as though the half a soul problem has had any problem. I think it's best that they don't know, though. It can only cause heartbreak, and right now we need to keep out heads held high, and focus on what matters.

We sent Papyrus out to show the humans how lighthearted and innocent monsters can be. With Flowey out of the picture altogether, we don't have to worry about anyone messing this up for us. On another positive note, it seems as though everyone has decided to drop the matter of how Asriel is back in the first place. It's for the best; it would leave them all devastated if they ever learned the truth. Alphys and Undyne have officially started dating as of yesterday. All they do is sit in front of the TV and alternate between watching various new animes and checking up on Mettaton, who managed to get his own TV show. He's doing a great job boasting about how monsters are genuinely nice. It's really helping the cause. It feels as though everything is slowly falling into place.

I'm beginning to feel a little more comfortable walking outside. Now that people are accepting us, we don't have as much to fear about as far as getting randomly attacked goes. Considering that I only have 1HP, that's good news for me. I mean, I know I can dodge pretty easily, but it's better safe than sorry, ya know?

The door slams open and we all here,

"I HAVE RETURNED WITH SPLENDID NEWS! I MADE FRIENDS WITH MORE HUMANS THROUGH A PEACE OFFERING OF SPAGHETTI TO THE OTHER CHILDREN. THE MOMENT THEY TASTED IT THEY RAN TO TELL THEIR PARENTS HOW GREAT IT TASTED!" He cheered.

"Great job, Pap, I'm proud of you!" I comment. It's a good thing his spaghetti has gotten better since we got above ground or else it may have started a war. In her spare time, Toriel has been teaching Undyne and Papyrus how to cook. Undyne is a very slow learner.

"Maybe you can give them some puzzles tomorrow!" Frisk encouraged him.

"THAT SOUNDS LIKE A MARVELOUS IDEA! WOULD YOU LIKE TO COME WITH ME AND SET THEM UP, HUMAN?" He said, happily

"Papyrus! We've known each other for so long now, and you can start calling me Frisk. Otherwise, it will be confusing when we're in public, and you're calling everyone, 'human.'" she replied, jokingly. "I'd love to help you set them up; it sounds like a skele-ton of fun!" Frisk teased him.

"SANS, STOP PLAGUING FRISK'S MIND WITH INCIDENTAL PUNS!" He barked at me.

"I don't know, Papyrus, I thought it was pretty humerus." I chimed in.

"Come on Sans; these jokes are pretty bare bones." Toriel chuckled.

"Careful, mom, or else I may have a bone to pick with you!" Frisk continued.

"THAT DOES IT, I'M GOING TO GO SET THE PUZZLES NOW!" Papyrus yelled, storming off, as everyone else was laughing.

"Wait, did Frisk just call you mom?" Asriel inquired.

"O-Oh! Uhm, ya... I did.." She replied, her cheeks growing very red, very fast. "It's, um, a long story." She said, nervously.

"Well, when I found her in the ruins, she was being attacked by this mean little flower, so I blasted it and took care of her ever since. We became so close so fast, that she just, out of nowhere, called me mom." Toriel informed him.

I saw him turn his head at the mention of the flower. We're gonna be walking on thin ice for a while now. After the tension had died down, I looked around to see everyone's smiling faces. They all looked so peaceful in this moment. I just wanted to live in this moment forever and never let it go, but deep down I knew this was only a single piece of a much larger, much more beautiful jigsaw puzzle. I'm calling it a night.

Sans signing off.

Chapter 7 - Serenity

Day 18

It's been a couple of days and it seems as though Asriel is fitting in nicely. He's been spending a lot of time with his parents. Whenever he isn't with them, he's always with Frisk. Those two are gonna be inseparable; I'm telling you now. After keeping a close eye on him, it doesn't seem as though the half a soul problem has had any problem. I think it's best that they don't know, though. It can only cause heartbreak, and right now we need to keep out heads held high, and focus on what matters.

We sent Papyrus out to show the humans how lighthearted and innocent monsters can be. With Flowey out of the picture altogether, we don't have to worry about anyone messing this up for us. On another positive note, it seems as though everyone has decided to drop the matter of how Asriel is back in the first place. It's for the best; it would leave them all devastated if they ever learned the truth. Alphys and Undyne have officially started dating as of yesterday. All they do is sit in front of the TV and alternate between watching various new animes and checking up on Mettaton, who managed to get his own TV show. He's doing a great job boasting about how monsters are genuinely nice. It's really helping the cause. It feels as though everything is slowly falling into place.

I'm beginning to feel a little more comfortable walking outside. Now that people are accepting us, we don't have as much to fear about as far as getting randomly attacked goes. Considering that I only have 1HP, that's good news for me. I mean, I know I can dodge pretty easily, but it's better safe than sorry, ya know?

The door slams open and we all here,

"I HAVE RETURNED WITH SPLENDID NEWS! I MADE FRIENDS WITH MORE HUMANS THROUGH A PEACE OFFERING OF SPAGHETTI TO THE OTHER CHILDREN. THE MOMENT THEY TASTED IT THEY RAN TO TELL THEIR PARENTS HOW GREAT IT TASTED!" He cheered.

"Great job, Pap, I'm proud of you!" I comment. It's a good thing his spaghetti has gotten better since we got above ground or else it may have started a war. In her spare time, Toriel has been teaching Undyne and Papyrus how to cook. Undyne is a very slow learner.

"Maybe you can give them some puzzles tomorrow!" Frisk encouraged him.

"THAT SOUNDS LIKE A MARVELOUS IDEA! WOULD YOU LIKE TO COME WITH ME AND SET THEM UP, HUMAN?" He said, happily

"Papyrus! We've known each other for so long now, and you can start calling me Frisk. Otherwise, it will be confusing when we're in public, and you're calling everyone, 'human.'" she replied, jokingly. "I'd love to help you set them up; it sounds like a skele-ton of fun!" Frisk teased him.

"SANS, STOP PLAGUING FRISK'S MIND WITH INCIDENTAL PUNS!" He barked at me.

"I don't know, Papyrus, I thought it was pretty humerus." I chimed in.

"Come on Sans; these jokes are pretty bare bones." Toriel chuckled.

"Careful, mom, or else I may have a bone to pick with you!" Frisk continued.

"THAT DOES IT, I'M GOING TO GO SET THE PUZZLES NOW!" Papyrus yelled, storming off, as everyone else was laughing.

"Wait, did Frisk just call you mom?" Asriel inquired.

"O-Oh! Uhm, ya... I did.." She replied, her cheeks growing very red, very fast. "It's, um, a long story." She said, nervously.

"Well, when I found her in the ruins, she was being attacked by this mean little flower, so I blasted it and took care of her ever since. We became so close so fast, that she just, out of nowhere, called me mom." Toriel informed him.

I saw him turn his head at the mention of the flower. We're gonna be walking on thin ice for a while now. After the tension had died down, I looked around to see everyone's smiling faces. They all looked so peaceful in this moment. I just wanted to live in this moment forever and never let it go, but deep down I knew this was only a single piece of a much larger, much more beautiful jigsaw puzzle. I'm calling it a night.

Sans signing off.

Chapter 8 - Chaos

Journal Entry - Day 21

I attacked someone today. I still can't believe what happened; I don't even understand what happened. I was walking around outside in a crowded area today when a human stopped me. I figured it would be for one of the usual reasons. To ask what it was like living in the underground. To ask if I could take a picture with them. Maybe even to see if we were as good or bad as rumors depicted us to be.

Let me tell ya, I was pretty shocked to see the advancements in technology, cooking and medical treatment that these people made. I've always heard that humans were backward and couldn't grasp the concept of machinery, but I suppose those legends had a wide margin for miscalculations. So, I guess I shouldn't have been too surprised when I found out first hand that there were also advancements in the humans' firepower.

You heard me right. Maybe that would be read me right, but I digress. I was minding my own business when some vigilante tried to pull a gun on me and either threaten me or dust me. I wasn't about to take any chances. Again, I only have 1HP. If I get hit playing dodgeball, I'm liable to get knocked out, or worse. As my eye clicked a fiery shade of blue, I grabbed him and threw him into the nearest wall before I had an opportunity to stop myself. Sometimes my reflexes are too fast even for me to realize. But here I was, standing not even 10 feet away from this man who tried to assault me, surrounded by dozens of people who never saw him pull the gun out of his sleeve. Next thing I know, people are screaming and running away, or charging at me before I can do anything else.

I wasn't about to do anything reckless again, so I simply say, "Sorry..." before popping out of there. I'm sure everyone was even more terrified at this point. They were only just getting comfortable with us, and one isolated event threw all our work out the window. My hands are still shaking, wondering what's gonna happen next.

There's a knock on the door.

I jump up and answer it before anyone else can. I doubt word would have traveled this fast, but there's no sense in chancing anything. Luckily, it was just a couple kids asking to see Papyrus. I smile and say sure, calling out to Paps.

"you have some friends here Papyrus!" I inform him.

"NYEH-HEH-HEH? WHO COULD IT BE? OH! THERE ARE MY EXPERT PUZZLE SOLVERS!" He announces.

"They're so fun! Can you make more, please?" I hear them beg.

"WHY OF COURSE! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, SHALL BEGIN PREPARING SOME MORE FOR TOMORROW. BUT RIGHT NOW, ASGORE'S CLONE IS TEACHING ME TO COOK AGAIN!" He bellowed.

"Papyrus? You're missing the most important part!" Toriel yelled out.

"Aw, do you have to do that now?" they asked him, innocently.

"BUT OF COURSE, MASTER CHEF PAPYRUS WANTS TO ENSURE YOU HAVE ONLY THE ABSOLUTE BEST SPAGHETTI, SO TORIEL IS TRAINING MY ALREADY PERFECT SKILLS TO EVEN GREATER HEIGHTS! WELL, SEE YOU TOMORROW" He said, amusingly as he walked around the corner to the kitchen.

I tell them to come back tomorrow, and they left, albeit a bit disappointed. I sighed. That could have ended much worse. If it had been someone who knew of the attack earlier, we could have been in a lot of trouble.

"SANS?" I hear undyne yell. "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?"

My heart dropped as I slowly approached the room she was in, watching a news article on TV of a human holding a phone getting video evidence of my assault on the human. My head felt light; the room started spinning, and I felt nauseous as I felt everyone staring at me. Judging me. Question why I was being shown slamming a human into a wall and knocking me unconscious.

"What were you thinking Sans?"I heard toriel state.

"That doesn't seem all that called for" Asgore chimed in.

"SANS! WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE MAKING FRIENDS WITH THE HUMANS, NOT ATTACKING THEM!"

Everyone was throwing in their opinion of me, and it was getting extremely hard to hear myself think with the constant barrage of questions and transgressions being spewed at me.

"S-sans? W-why did you do that? I don't... I don't understand."

My soul shattered into a million pieces as I heard Frisk's voice over everyone else. She always had a way of getting through to me when no one else could. Here I was, a broken skeleton, wishing he could just go back in time and try again, hoping for anything that I could take back what just happened. Then it hit me!

"Frisk! Babybones, I swear I'll explain everything later, but I NEED you to reset right now!" I speak order as everyone shuts up to figure out what I just said.

"What do you mean by reset?" Alphys asked, worriedly.

"Reset what? Stop trying to change the topic!" Undyne yelled.

"I haven't the foggiest clue what you're getting at Sans," Asgore concluded.

I look from everyone's confused faces back to Frisk, who had her eyes closed and her arm outstretched. I breathed a sigh of relief as I saw her complying. It was short-lived, to say the least, when Frisk's eye shot open and, as everyone was barraging me once again, despite not hearing her, I saw her mouth read,

"I can't reset."

My mouth dropped, my gut twisted and my mind went blank. This was bad; this was very, VERY bad. Now not only are we slowly becoming public enemy number one, but I mentioned the "R" word in front of everybody.

Chaos ensued inside the house as everyone was badgering me. I didn't know what to do at this point; we were running out of time and options. I wish I knew how right I was to say that, as the moment I did, I heard a lot of angry yelling outside the house. They got here sooner than I expected, although I suppose a good amount of time must have gone by when I was asking Frisk for help.

why.

Why.

WHY AREN'T FRISK'S POWERS WORKING. THEY ALWAYS WORK, SO WHY NOT THIS TIME?

Something really doesn't add up here. I would get to the bottom of this, but right now, something broke my attention, when I heard papyrus declare,

(quick interruption in the story. For this next part, read the second part of the characters dialogue slowly, like when sans says the famous 'burning in hell' line in genocide route. Just to get the full effect of the moment)

"HELLO HUMANS! HOW ARE YOU TO-" BANG! I heard a loud, distinctive noise ring out. "D-DAY? THAT... THAT WASN'T WHAT I EXPECTED."

I saw him slowly dust over, as everyone went into a panic. I may be a lot of things; Lazy, a ketchup addict, a man who loves a bad joke. But I wasn't a liar. In the heat of the moment, I get up, turn around and grab onto Frisk's arm, just as I zapped back to the underground. I didn't have a distinct area in mind; I just thought about the underground.

Next thing I know we were where Papyrus and I first met frisk, near the conveniently shaped lamp.

I dropped to my knees and punched the snow with all my might. I couldn't think; I was too angry. I was becoming irrational, and in my haze, I almost punched kiddo. I instantly realized my mistake and fell onto my back, to confused to do anything. But as I said before, Frisk always has a way of getting through to me.

"Sans! What happened? Why did the shoot Papyrus? I- I don't. I don't understand. I- I... PAPYRUUUUUS" she was sobbing. I've never seen anyone cry as much as I saw her right now. Without even thinking about it, I bent down and hugged her, patting her head, trying to calm her down.

"There there kiddo, we'll... we'll think of something," I said, slowly. I really, really goofed up this time.

We sat there for a while, just calming ourselves down. She finally stopped crying when I heard her scream,

SANS WHAT'S HAPPENING TO EVERYONE ELSE?"

I instantly remembered that I left everyone else up there to fend for themselves.

HOW COULD I BE SO STUPID. FIRST PAPYRUS, WHO'S NEXT?

I was about to teleport back when Frisk grabbed my hand.

"Sans, Asriel HAS to be your priority right now, he's the weakest one there!" She reminded me.

"Good call, kiddo, I almost forget that someone else out there is as pathetic as I am." I mused

"SANS!" She yelled at me.

"Sorry, I guess this is a baaaad time, huh? Oh, sorry. I use humor to ease the tension when I'm upset. One goat boy coming up!" I snap.

I pop back to the forest next to the house. No sense popping back inside and risk getting attacked again. I instantly see an onslaught of humans and monsters alike fighting each other.

A human stood in the midst of the war. They held out their weapon, a small knife, as the chaos grew. How could everything change so fast? One moment it had been a peaceful morning like any other, humans and monsters living together. Now the small town was a war zone of madness.

The outline of a monster appeared out of the rubble and noise; one best known as a Froggit. The frog-like monster leaped into the air at the human; it's body seeming to glow with magic as it powered it's attack. The human lifted up their weapon, squeezing their eyes shut.

Flecks of dust fell lightly onto the human as they opened their eyes. The monsters were losing. Seven humans, their souls, glowing with power, pushed most of the monsters back. The human looked at the dust all around them. How had it all come to this?

I gasped, remembering what I came here for. I look back to the house to see a constant cycle of firebolt, Spear and Trident fly out. Everyone was protecting themselves it seemed.

BANG!

It echoed through the air one again, piercing the air with ease like a warm knife slicing bread. Suddenly the firebolts stopped appearing in the cycle.

"NNNOOOOO!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, attracting a lot of attention my way. My eyes were tearing up to the point it was hard to see. The rest of my vision being encompassed by pure, unadulterated rage and lividity. I clicked my eye blue again, but somehow it felt different. I felt stronger than I ever have before. I shrug it off and summon a gaster, as I usually do when blue is switched in. As it was slowly being created, I saw all the humans freeze in place and grow increasingly worried. I turn around to see what there shock is, and I see the largest gaster ever. It towered over me, probably 50 feet tall and wide. I smirk as I realize I've gained the upper hand. My confidence quickly transformed back to rage when I heard, in rapid succession,

BANG!

BANG!

I screamed again as suddenly the field is enveloped in a bright white flash. When it ends, houses in shambles, the humans lie facedown and immobile. I quickly run to the house, which I made sure to leave out of the radius. Running inside I immediately wanted to throw up at what I saw. More specifically, at what I I didn't see - anyone. Just a few piles of dust littering the carpet and wooden flooring. I fell to my knees again and start crying.

Papyrus.

Toriel.

Undyne.

Asgore.

Alphys...

They were all dead because I was too quick for my own good. I heard soft whimpering coming from another room. Forcing myself to stand I walk to the source: a large cabinet.

I opened it to see Asriel curled up and yelling not to hurt him.

"Asriel, relax. It's only me." I tell him. "How are you still alive?" I asked him.

His eye shot up when he saw me and he jumped up and hugged me, still crying. He needed comfort, and his parents weren't here for it.

"My mom told me to hide in there and not make any noise. I didn't listen to well, huh? Where is everyone?" He yelled breaking away from me and searching. I tried to stop him, so he wouldn't have to see it, but I wasn't able to. He fell to the ground the instant he saw the dust and started sobbing. I walked over to him and placed my hand on his shoulder. I needed to get back to Frisk. This was one hell of a day.

Sans Signing off.

Chapter 9 - The Plan.

Needless to say, Frisk wasn't all that thrilled to find out everyone else was dead. Asriel, being the only survivor, was in shambles and they were hugging each other, trying to consolidate the other. Again, needless to say, it wasn't helping. I pulled out a bottle and ketchup and chugged it. After today, I was gonna need all the ketchup I could get my bones on. Sitting back in my house was a bit surreal. I couldn't believe I was gonna be stuck here again. Only this time, Papyrus wasn't gonna be joining me.

P-Papyrus... I couldn't save you. Oh god, why couldn't I save you! It's as though those nightmares were slowly coming true, just not in the way I expected. If anything it's worse, because now I have to live by myself. Well, that's not true. I still have Frisk and now Asriel, which is immensely more preferable than the alternative.

"Fr-Frisk... what are we gonna do now? I feel like a bonehead for not being able to think of anything, but I'm... just broken right now. I'm sorry babybones." I said desolately.

"S-s-sans. I d-don't know e-either. Oh, Papyrus! Asgore! Alphys! Undyne! M-" she stopped, she was struggling to come to terms with this. "Mom..." She mouthed silently. Hard as this was on me, I can't even begin to grasp how the kid is feeling. I couldn't even comfort her; I had to try to control myself as it was.

"Hey, Asriel. Uh, how you holding up bucko?" I ask him, trying to appear more cheerful than I was. Someone had to. Unfortunately, he was still in shock and couldn't bring himself to answer. Poor kid finally got his family back, his life back, his literal soul back and he lost it all again. I was becoming more disheveled. I couldn't keep up this charade much longer; I felt myself crumbling away with every passing second.

What could I do?

WHAT COULD I DO?

As expected I couldn't force myself into giving me an answer. I had none. There was no silver lining this time; there was no hope. There were no answers. I give up.

I felt myself fall over and black out. I couldn't take it anymore; it was too much for me. While I was passed out, I had a dream. A dream where Papyrus was entertaining the entire town with his charades. Where Alphys was an award-winning scientist. Where Undyne was a black belt master teaching new pupils. Where Toriel was an elementary school teacher, guiding young minds to brighter futures. Where Asgore was a gardener, tending to his collection, sipping tea. Where Frisk was happy, bouncing between everyone's day-to-day lives. Where I didn't feel so alone. I'd say what Asriel was, but I didn't know what his hopes and aspirations were, so I was still clueless. I dreamed that everyone was... alive. But then the dream slowly faded as I came to again.

Frisk was freaking out trying to wake me up, to make sure I was still ok. I wasn't, but I couldn't let her know that. Asriel was hovering over me too, just as worried as Frisk was for me. I was relieved to have them here, and I might not have stayed here if it wasn't for them.

"I'm ok, kiddo. Really, I am. I just drank that ketchup too fast." I lied. I hated myself for it.

"Sans, you scared me. I already lost everyone else; I CAN'T lose you too. Please.. Don't let me lose you too."

As usual, her words hit me like bullets. ugh. Poor choice of words. But the effect was the same. I couldn't sit around doing nothing, waiting for the dust to settle.

Dust..

DUST!

"FRISK, THANK YOU SO MUCH YOU BEAUTIFUL GENIUS!" I screamed.

"Wait, what? I don't understand.." She said.

"You will soon, I think you'll figure out soon enough. First things first, we gotta go back to the house." I told her, barely containing my happiness.

"But we're already at the house?" She questioned.

"I'm referring to the one above ground." I motioned upwards with a finger.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Asriel asked, scared.

"It's a dangerous idea, for sure... Which is exactly why you're staying here. We can't risk you getting into a fight; you're just an easy kill with only half a soul. This entire operation will be left up to the only person who can get in and out perfectly safe. Frisk." I declare.

She gulps nervously, "A-are you sure about that?" She questions me.

"You're a human. They won't attack you; their hostility is focused entirely on the monsters. If anything happens, I got your back regardless.

She looks up at me, determined to help, "I'm not too sure I understand your plan, but I'll do whatever you need me to do.

~Frisk Cam~

Get in, get the dust, get out. Get in, get the dust, get out. Get in, get the dust, get out. Got it. I can do this. I have nothing to worry about.

I keep repeating this sentence to myself in my head, determined to follow through with the plan. Sans equipped me with several baggies, one for each monster's dust pile. I need to get as much of it into each as I can. Sans teleported us to the outer limits of the town. Looking at it was like seeing the end of a war movie after the war ended. Everything was destroyed! What happened here? How could so much happen in so little time?

Somehow the house was the only thing outside of the blast radius, miraculously. I marveled at this for but a moment, before I snapped back to attention. It didn't LOOK like anyone was around, but they could be waiting in ambush. I make a mad dash for the house, praying no one would see me before I entered. I made it, but I wasn't too sure that no one saw me. I got right to work collecting the dust, but Sans forgot to give me something to scoop them up with. Great. After scavenging around the house a bit, the best I could find was the spatula mom used to scoop out pieces of pie. It would have to work.

I set to work getting everyone. I found Papyrus's scarf around one pile of dust, scooped him into the first bag and labeled it with a P. Next, I found Undynes shirt and marked her bag with a U. Alphys robes, marked with Al. Mom's dress, marked with T. I found one more pile with nothing around it, and figured it must have been asgore, which was scooped up and marked with As.

I sighed, having completed my task when I heard,"

"What's a sweet little monster lover like you doing out here all by yourself?"

I slowly turn around and was met with a man, around 19 years old, pointing a gun at me. I hid the bags behind my back, hoping he wouldn't notice. "N-Nothing! Just leave me alone.." I said with little conviction.

"Cute. What's in the bags?" He asked. Shoot, he saw them.

"It's not important," I told him.

"SHOW me. now." he threatened. I had no choice but to show him.

"Dust? What, are you preserving the ashes of your fallen comrades? Aw, how adorable!" He said, teasing me. I walked backwards a little, trying to get away, but he quickly closed the gap on us. "Hand them over, squirt." He ordered.

"No! You can't have them; they're too important to me!" I yelled, trying to catch him off guard. It failed.

"I'll say it one more time. Hand. Them. Over." He said, lifting the gun.

"P-please, just leave me alone!" I shouted, fighting back the tears.

"Screw this." He said and pointed the gun at my head. I closed my eyes waiting for the end to come. Without resets, I don't think I would respawn anywhere either. I guess this timeline is gonna be the last...

"Get. The HELL. AWAY FROM HER!" I hear sans scream before I looked up to see a blue bone shoot through his skull. I fell to my knees, petrified.

*Sans just killed a man*

"N-no, I can't. I don't. I. I..." I stumbled to find the right words to say. Next thing I know Sans was holding onto my shoulders,

"Did you get them, Frisk?" He shot out, panicky.

"Y-Yes. Sans, you just. You killed. You. You..." I still couldn't find what I wanted to say.

"I know, kiddo. I know. I had to keep you safe, and he was gonna shoot at any second. I couldn't lose you too; you're too important to me to take that chance. I don't feel great about it, but I had to. There wasn't any another option." he said, glumly.

"I understand." I sighed. "I believe you. Let's just get out of here, Sans." I asked politely.

He grabbed my hand, and we were gone. When we popped back into his house, Asriel's head shot up, and he sprinted to us. "What took so long? I was afraid I would be the one losing everyone, not the other way around this time." He said depressed.

"We wouldn't allow that to happen, Asriel! Not after everything you've been through!" Frisk assured him. "We got their dust sans. What are we doing now? Are we going to put them in a vase to preserve their memory?" I asked.

"Not exactly. Keep in mind, that we already did this for, erm, "Flow-sriel" over there."

I saw Asriel cross his arms and pout at that nickname. I chuckled, keeping a mental note to call him that myself sometime. Then it hit me!

"Sans, are you sure that would work, though?" I asked, naively.

"Would what work?" Asriel questioned.

"I'm perfectly confident it will." He replied, smiling.

"Would WHAT work?" He repeated.

"Well, OK, then. Let's go test it out then!" I cheered.

"WOULD WHAT WORK?" He barked.

I smiled and walked outside to the basement. He followed me still confused. That's when it hit him.

"Okay, maybe that would work." He said.

"As I've said before, this machine was DESIGNED for dust. We got lucky with you. The fact that these guys dusted over means they WILL come back with a fully intact soul. Frisk, I'm sure by now you know what to do. But, let's cut the antics from last time alright?"

"Of course!" I said, gesturing with a thumbs up!

~Sans Cam~

After a few minutes, and a lot of happy smiles, we had everyone back. I tell you, I couldn't be more relieved that the old man got me into science when I was younger. I never expected it to pay off so much, but here I was, hugging my brother again and thanking myself for taking the time necessary to come up with and take the time to make a machine I never believed would have a CHANCE of being feasibly usable. Life's funny sometimes.

"HUMAN, I KNEW YOU COULD FIGURE SOMETHING OUT!" Papyrus cheered.

"That was quite the extraordinary thing, Sans." Asgore complimented me.

"Ya, it was pretty SANS-ational, if I do say so myself!" Toriel joked.

"I put a lot of 'backbone' into it this time' I retorted.

"let's not get into that again.." undyne said.

"I don't mind listening to them joke around. It's actually pretty funny!" Alphys insisted.

"Well, regardless, we have to worry about the humans now. There's no telling what might happen now that the barriers open and they have their eyes set on us," I stated, bluntly

"We need to prepare for an all-out war."


End file.
